Those of you who've been mudding long enough to know, can you tell me how you come up with player-run plots?

These forums only give me vague glimpses of what people have done in the past, and most of what I've seen in my short time in the game has been imm plottage, with all the works. There have been some player plots, and I've been in at least one, but I've still only seen glimpses of a much bigger thing. I want to know what it looks like from the mind of the person starting it.

What needs to be considered, how to keep it open to change but headed in a general direction, how to color in the lines without npc use (or very clever use) or echoes. Every time I can come up with a good story idea, it requires imm involvement. Or it's not flexible enough to accommodate the unexpected antics of players. Or, it's really just a thing that I think it cool to do, but isn't really a 'plot', in that I don't have a plan of any kind, I just want to press a red button and watch what happens. And, while that is fun, I want a real story, with an end result, though what result depend heavily on who is involved and what shenanigans they pull.

So, basically, I'm asking for a guide on starting, maintainig, and ending a player-run plot. Or maybe thougts, ideas and wisdom to build such a guide? I don't think I'm the first or only person who can't figure it out, but want to. And I think future players may feel the same._________________"[Aiden poses clinging to the ceiling like a gecko].
With a slight shimmer, Aiden is revealed to view.
Night screeches
Aiden drops down and lands on his feet lightly.
Night speaks softly: Why!?
Aiden smiles at Night."

Most of the things that my characters do are to advance a goal of some kind. After I have established a goal I try to look at the most realistic way that I can reach that goal given the limitations of the character. Some things require immortal assistance and can be put in the hopper of long term goals, and others can be driven forward by the actions of fellow players. Convincing them to aid you in your goals is up to you and a good way to draw people in to lines of role-play.

Unfortunately without being given access to some of the tools you suggested, such as echoes, npcs, graffiti, etc., player plots will never be as flashy or as complex as avatar plots. But even simple things can be great, if it gives other players a chance to think, work together, etc. But from what I've gathered over the years is this:

The easiest and most common player-drive plot is a personal affliction. Be it amnesia, bad dreams, MPD, etc. Here it is easy enough to have players work through figuring out what's wrong and finding a solution.

Another easy idea is to afflict someone else with something. This requires getting the victim's permission (unless we're just talking taking a limb for a few days), and has a high likelihood of your impending doom. (For example, possessing someone with a demon, giving the evil guy a heart, etc).

Like Vaser said, it's helpful to have a your desired end in mind. If you think you want to make some big changes in your characters life, its a great time to get to plotting because there IS change in the end, which is always cool for everyone involved. We can't really change the world around us, but we can always change our selves.

I've seen a player-driven plot that was largely done through mails, where mostly it was just someone who wanted to write a story and invited players into it, and we were able to work things out IG, while all of the "magic" or even npc dealings happened in mails. The final scene happened through the power of emotes and imagination.

The important thing to remember, I think, is that in the end if you've given someone something to think about, engage with, roleplay around, then you've likely pulled off a player plot! They're not big and shiny, but they're what makes the game world go round, and what keeps people coming back for more.

(Edited to add one more thought: Followers make great plot tools! You can always ask players to ignore your invis self in the room while using them)

The only time I have ever seen it being done was when HMs were still around and even then it was extremely rare. It could be different now than it was then, but I have been able to get the HMs and IMMs in the past to approve some very minor stuff. I'm sort of trying to run one now using avatarmail and rumors at the advice of N.

I'll be around on Saturday afternoon and Sunday for the couple people involved in that by the way. I'm just a bit busy during the week currently._________________"GNOMES MAKE THE BEST GARDENERS!!!!!" - A random Garden Gnome to a group of snobby Elves.

The best plots have lots of other players involved. If you can get 2 or 3 players to go in on something with you, it raises your odds of getting some imm support.

Of course you can do player-only plots, no imms involved, but it's the same idea of getting 2,3,4 player's in on the action. What makes that hard is getting people interested in the story you would like to do and finding what role their character can play.

Many plots I have seen focus a lot on how a character evolves. Maybe they fall in love. Maybe they are looking for a long lost relative. Maybe they are changing deity or alignment and have other characters trying to help or hurt.

Because changing the setting is hard (for wizzes, avatars, and players), it means the action of player plots often revolves more on character.